A
uthentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to
Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment
Free Press, $26
Martin Seligman, Ph.D., best known for his efforts to shift
psychology's attention from pathology to wellness, attempts to undermine
the theory that people are fundamentally no good. This
"rotten-to-the-core" dogma, he argues, set forth in the concept of
original sin and in Freud's notion of the unconscious, undermines our
efforts to achieve enduring happiness. Seligman insists that people are
not destined to be evil and miserable; they can learn to find meaning and
purpose in life, and in doing so they will achieve authentic
happiness.
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional
Intelligence
Harvard Business School Press, $26.95
Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., a former associate editor of Psychology
Today and author of the best seller Emotional Intelligence, joins forces
in his latest work with researchers Richard Boyatzis, Ph.D., a professor
of organizational psychology at Case Western Reserve University, and
Annie McKee, Ph.D., a University of Pennsylvania School of Education
professor. Together, they argue that emotions are contagious, and a
successful leader is one from whom people "catch" positive feelings. "The
fundamental task of leaders," they write, "is to prime good feelings in
those they lead." The emotional side of work doesn't show up in the
accounting ledgers, but it does affect the bottom line.
Inner Navigation: Why We Get Lost and How We Find Our
WayScribner, $25
Ever come out of a subway and realize you haven't a clue as to
which way to go? Erik Jonsson, a Swedish-born engineer now living in the
United States, became interested in personal navigation after getting
"turned around" himself a few times. Discovering we are here when we were
certain we were there is a disconcerting experience. Jonsson explains how
humans use physical and psychological cues to locate ourselves in space,
how we use these cues to get from point A to point B and why we sometimes
go wrong.
A Guide to Treatments that Work (Second Edition)
Oxford University Press, $85
Looking for a treatment to calm a nervous twitch? Seeking
assistance with your hyperactive child? Wondering whether effective help
is available to ease an aunt's Alzheimer's symptoms? This may be the best
place to start your search. Edited by Peter Nathan, Ph.D., professor of
psychology at the University of Iowa, and Jack Gorman, M.D., professor of
clinical psychiatry at Columbia University's College of Physicians and
Surgeons, this collection of articles reviews treatment options for
specific maladies. A must-have for practicing therapists, the book may
also be useful to any layperson able and willing to wade through
scholarly prose. It's not cheap, but it might save money for those who
would otherwise bounce from therapist to therapist in their quest for
help.
Off Road Parenting
Northwest Media, $24.95
Providing yet another option in a market flooded with parenting
books, child psychologists Caesar Pacifici, Ph.D., director of
educational research at Northwest Media, and Patricia Chamberlain, Ph.D.,
clinical director at the Oregon Social Learning Center, team up with
writer and Northwest Media president Lee White. Among the more sensible
alternatives, this book makes practical and effective suggestions for
dealing with everyday problems. Short, easy to read and illustrated with
cartoons from Stone Soup, a syndicated comic strip, it comes complete
with an interactive DVD that allows you to practice what the authors
preach.
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
Harvard University Press, $39.95
The late Steven Jay Gould, Ph.D., a zoology professor to Harvard
University students and Mr. Evolution to everyone else, lived just long
enough to see his magnum opus in print. More than 1,400 pages long with a
bibliography containing some 1,000 items, this book is a monument to
evolutionary theory. Serious students will be as en-thralled by the depth
and breadth of Gould's scholarship as by what he has to say about the
current status of evolutionary theory. If there is an afterlife, Darwin
himself is surely reading this book.
911: The Book of Help
Cricket Books, $9.95
After September 11, publisher Marc Aronson and editor Marianne
Carus, both of Cricket Books, asked established writers of teen books to
respond to the tragedies. The resulting compilation, a collection of
poetry, essays and journalistic stories edited by Michael Cart, is meant
to help young people come to grips with fears aroused by the events of
9/11, but it may be just as useful to anxious adults. Can a book really
offer such comfort? Some books can.
Too Nice
Magination Press, $8.95
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